The book follows the mixed-race Strom family through much of the 20th century, from 1939 when German-Jewish physicist David Strom meets Delia Daley, a black, classically trained singer from Philadelphia through the 1990s. The couple marries and has three children: eldest son Jonah, a charismatic, egotistical singing prodigy; Joseph, his self-sacrificing accompanist; and Ruth, the rebel of the family, who becomes a militant black activist. There are...

Nights at the speakeasy...Spark a dangerous romance. Evelyn Laroque's performances at Lorenzo De Luca's Kansas City blues club draw even bigger crowds than his bootleg whiskey. And every time he hears her voice, Lorenzo falls a little harder for the achingly beautiful blues singer. When Evelyn becomes a target for the KKK, Lorenzo faces an impossible choice. Will this son of a gangster turn to the mob if it's the only way to protect the woman he loves?...

"This third novel by Rosalyn Story, whose critically acclaimed books treat the central role of Black people in American music, is her most rewarding yet, telling the intertwined stories of two singers whose lives connect across time"--

"New York, 1960: For Benny Lament, music is his entire life. With his father's deep ties to the mob, the Bronx piano man has learned that love and family can get you in trouble. So he keeps to himself, writing songs for other musicians, avoiding the spotlight...until the night his father brings him to see Esther Mine sing.Esther is a petite powerhouse with a gorgeous voice. And when Benny writes a hit song and performs it with her, their collaboration...